Research Guides: Political Science: American Law & Government

American Law & Government - Introduction

When conducting U.S. government and legal research it is important to understand the basics of how the government is organized. This will help you determine which resources to choose in order to locate particular documentation.

The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches:

Legislative – Makes laws (Congress)
Executive – Carries out laws (President, Vice President, Cabinet)
Judicial – Evaluates and interprets laws (Supreme Court and other courts)

The compilation of websites and databases listed in this section will lead you to U.S. government documents and other information available free online and through NYU subscription. Use the left navigation bar to link to more specific legislative, executive, and judicial resources.

Main Sources of U.S. Government Documents

ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
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ProQuest Congressional allows you to explore Congress in action with the most comprehensive online resource available for congressional publications and legislative research. You can perform in-depth research in public policy, historical, and legal areas of interest.
This resource is not part of the depository library program.

Congress.gov
The official website for U.S. federal legislative information. It provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information, presented by the Library of Congress (LOC).Congress.gov is usually updated the morning after a session adjourns. Consult Coverage Dates for Legislative Information for the specific update schedules and start date for each collection.
GovInfo
Formerly FDsys, GovInfo provides online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government. Content includes Congressional bills from 1993 to the present, House and Senate Documents, and Reports from 104th Congress (1995-96) forward.

HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
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HeinOnline contains the full-text of law review journals and related legal documents, including the Code of Federal Regulations, English Reports (1220-1867), U.S. Presidential Library, U.S. Statutes at Large, and U.S. Supreme Court Library, and World Trials Library, and more.